Free Things to Do in Krakow

THE 10 BEST Free Things to Do in Krakow

Best Free Things to Do in Krakow

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What travelers are saying

  • AttitudeAdjuster
    Gillingham, UK955 contributions
    A beautiful centre-piece to Krakow Old Town. Lovely just to wander around and on a fine day with the horse-drawn carriages clip-clopping by it's gorgeous.
    Written August 13, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • AmandaJaneC69
    Wokingham, UK61 contributions
    Wonderful Church with lots of historic details. Go early as the queue in the afternoon for tickets to get in were very long. You will get a headset which will guide you around everything inside in any language.
    Written July 12, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • eric_weber
    Leipzig, Germany82 contributions
    It is a nice quarter! some very good Restaurants, also with traditional / kosher cuisine. lot of synagoges, however some of them not in the best shape at the moments. the other buildings are comparable to other parts of the city
    Written August 2, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Rebecca S
    14 contributions
    We bought tickets to get in when others were just walking in. There was a service on so couldn't go too far from the door and I was inappropriately dressed apparently!! But it is beautiful what we did see
    Written July 22, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Richard M
    Hampstead Norreys, UK793 contributions
    We were not really bothered by all the shops will their jewellery, galls ware and souvenirs. The interior was stunning. The place is large and has an incredible history. Well worth the time to walk through.
    Written July 29, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • KTP310
    Reading, UK891 contributions
    It is well worth visiting this square and very striking memorial, situated in the Jewish quarter just over the bridge. Several information boards provide information about the struggle of the Jews in Krakow during WWII.
    Written July 14, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • pawel_hbg
    Sopot, Poland9,993 contributions
    Planty is one of the largest city parks which encircles the Old Town, where the Medieval city walls used to stand until the early 19th century. It is beautiful every season of the year. I reccommend to walk it all around.
    Written May 21, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Ann T
    Moscow, Russia119 contributions
    Classical favorites played in a stunningly beautiful, easily accessible venue—St. Peter and Paul Church! Different concerts every night of the week at 8:00 PM. Reasonably-priced. Tickets available at the door. Highly recommend as a crowd-pleasing, relaxing cultural activity, that can fill in any free evening in Krakow!
    Written August 8, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Bertie1224
    Northamptonshire, UK428 contributions
    Easter Saturday, a beautiful choir echoing in the street brought us to watch the procession enter a wonderfully lit church. The gold shone out and the incense made it more mesmerising. A big church with an amazing interior that would require sometime to stand and observe and absorb it all. Superb architecture.
    Written April 16, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Hannelore H
    United Kingdom245 contributions
    Absolutely stunning street with so much to see in terms of architecture, monuments, just absorb the local feel and surroundings, especially on a sunny day.
    Written May 10, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Merrowmum
    Guildford, UK1,214 contributions
    Attractive but you walk up to it, under it then back again… still worth popping over for a photo though.
    Written June 2, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Daveyboy03
    London, UK5,750 contributions
    One thing that 'stayed' with me after visiting the plaztow camp area was the 'cold chill' I physically felt while walking through the woods area. I am never one to believe in 'ghostly beings' & knew only the basics of the camp's history. The autumn day had barely a breeze but my bodily temperature significantly & noticeably dropped & I felt a 'cold chill' for 5-10 minutes. I then came across the public sign telling visitors to "respect the area.." etc . I also passed the SS guards house- who used to 'sniper shoot' prisoners from his balcony. I would recommend visitors to research 'Plaztow camp' before visiting- so you know what to expect.
    Written May 24, 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Patryk T
    4 contributions
    Great place to relax, have a picnic, or to soak up the view of Kraków and surrounding area. The park is well tended and the entrance is free.
    Written July 23, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Hannelore H
    United Kingdom245 contributions
    A very typical church giving a good sense of cultural, religious and historical background, would definitely recommend to visit.
    Written April 27, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Merrowmum
    Guildford, UK1,214 contributions
    This modern bridge has completely separate sections for pedestrians and cyclists - excellent. Linking Kazimierz and the former WWII Jewish ghetto, it is attractive with various suspended circus gymnast sculptures, which move gently in the wind.
    Written June 1, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

See what travelers are asking

Forum posts were selected by looking for forum titles asking specific questions and taking the top showtopic page by total pageviews as the optimal topic.
Has anyone done both tours before?
Do you think the former is worth doing?

I have done the tour with a guide - so i guess techncially i have gone on the "General tour 3.5h" or something similar, but i am only at Auschwitz 1 for 1.5h, and then we rushed to Auschwitz 2-Birkenau for 1h. i recently went on a organized tour from Krakow bc i couldnt secure guided tour ticket at the last minute from the website. but i think my guide may a person in training (?) cos he was guiding us with an Auschwitz educator standing beside him all the time. I still couldnt figure out whether he is a new guide in training within Auschwitz, or he needs to be chaperoned bc he is a guide hired from the 'outside' (ie not someone hired by the Aushcwitz site). I am inclined to believe it is the latter, but not sure, so would appreciate anyone with better insights. So this means there could be 2 diff guides - one is a tour agency guide from the outside, and another is a Auschwitz educator guide?
Answer: for future readers - I did the 6 hour tour and it is a better pace,smaller group and you visit a few more places in the camps. Our guide was very good. Worthwhile if you have more than a passing interest in the history. We were at Auschwitz for 3 hours and birkenau for 2.25 hours. Crowds were smaller that day so we didn’t have to stop to wait for other groups. I then returned to Auschwitz around 4pm to walk through on my own and to visit some of the country specific exhibits - Hungary’s exhibit is especially good. In order to return to camp 1, I purchased free tickets ahead of time since you have to renter the queue.

Tour vs self guided - 100% go on a tour. The guides paint a more complete picture than you will get from a guidebook. You can arrive early if you want to see birkenau before it gets crowded and walk on your own. No ticket is required to visit birkenau.

Auschwitz vs birkenau - you want to see both. Auschwitz is more intact and has almost all of the exhibits. The exhibits of luggage,eyeglasses, shoes, and human hair is overwhelming. Birkenau is 25x the size of Auschwitz camp 1. Many buildings were destroyed but you can get a better feel for the scale of the genocide. Even with most buildings destroyed you get a chill realizing how people were sorted and put to death. Many times within hours of arrival.

Krakow ghetto - to round out your experience walk through the ghetto and Jewish quarter. Visit the synagogues. Realize the size of the Jewish community that thrived in this area and then 90% of them were killed.

Last - learn about the history that led up to the holocaust. Hitler did not rise up in a vacuum. There were 20 years of anti-semitism that occurred before the death camps. The nazis were very good at isolating Jews, cutting them off from day to day community and business involvement and then eventually shipped them off to forced labor and death. Awareness of that history will help prevent this from ever happening again.
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